Various analytical procedures and devices are commonly employed in flow-through assays to determine the presence and/or concentration of analytes that may be present in a test sample. For instance, immunoassays utilize mechanisms of the immune systems, wherein antibodies are produced in response to the presence of antigens that are pathogenic or foreign to the organisms. These antibodies and antigens, i.e., immunoreactants, are capable of binding with one another, thereby causing a highly specific reaction mechanism that can be used to determine the presence or concentration of that particular antigen in a biological sample.
There are several well-known immunoassay methods that use immunoreactants labeled with a detectable component so that the analyte can be detected analytically. For example, “sandwich-type” assays typically involve mixing the test sample with antibodies to the analyte. These antibodies are mobile and linked to a label or probe, such as dyed latex, a colloidal metal sol, or a radioisotope. This mixture is then contacted with a chromatographic medium containing a band or zone of immobilized antibodies to the analyte. The chromatographic medium is often in the form of a strip resembling a dipstick. When the complex of the analyte and the labeled antibody reaches the zone of the immobilized antibodies on the chromatographic medium, binding occurs and the bound labeled antibodies are localized at the zone. This indicates the presence of the analyte. This technique can be used to obtain quantitative or semi-quantitative results. Some examples of such sandwich-type assays are described in. by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,168,146 to Grubb, et al. and 4,366,241 to Tom, et al.
An alternative technique is the “competitive-type” assay. In a “competitive-type” assay, the label is typically a labeled analyte or analyte-analogue that competes for binding of an antibody with any unlabeled analyte present in the sample. Competitive assays are typically used for detection of analytes such as haptens, each hapten being monovalent and capable of binding only one antibody molecule. Examples of competitive immunoassay devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,235,601 to Deutsch, et al., 4,442,204 to Liotta, and 5,208,535 to Buechler, et al.
Many of these assays rely upon calibration to provide valid and meaningful results, particularly for semi-quantitative and quantitative detections. Specifically, either external or internal calibration systems are generally employed. In an external calibration system, a standard curve is usually obtained from standard samples containing a series of a known amount of analyte, and the results obtained from the samples are then compared with the standard curve to extract the presence and/or amount of the analyte in the sample. The external calibration method is relatively easy to design and simple to implement. However, it is often subject to interference from environmental and batch-to-batch variations, and is thus unreliable.
Conventional internal calibration systems, on the other hand, typically utilize a membrane that has a calibration zone and a detection zone on which the capturing reagent specific for the analyte is immobilized. Unfortunately, conventional internal calibration systems use biological capturing reagents (e.g., antibodies) in the calibration zone. Such biological capturing reagents are expensive, fragile, and difficult to control in terms of the amount of active species in the total mass. In addition, biological capturing agents also tend to degrade over time.
As such, a need currently exists for an accurate calibration system for flow-through assays that is readily controllable, inexpensive, and does not significantly degrade over time.